Book Review: MacLean's Miscellany of Whisky

A few months ago I tweeted a request for recommended books to read. This one wasn't on anyone's list but in my search for the books that were mentioned it kept popping up and so when I found it on Ebay for a song (less than a pint of Guinness, delivered) it certainly seemed worth the punt.

This is not a new book by any means and it may even be out of print. My copy says it was first published in 2004, long before I started my whisky journey. However, I really wish someone had told me about this book earlier.

Here is my review of MacLean’s Miscellany of Whisky, by Charles MacLean. 

I had of course heard of Charles MacLean when I bought this book, by then I was well into my third year of the journey when I picked it up. I knew that he was involved with Wemyss Malts, and also was enjoying the status of movie star following the release of the excellent film by Ken Loach 'Angels Share'. Then while I was about halfway through the book I got the opportunity to meet Charles at a press launch in London just before The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show last October.

I've really enjoyed reading this book, my only gripe being the size, as it is comparable to an A6 notebook but twice the thickness. It made it a little unyielding for my fat fingers! I'm not going to moan about the poetry in the book because I never 'got' it when I was a lad. I still don't care for it much now. I know to some of you that might seem blasphemous and while I would never ridicule a poet, it’s just not my thing. I did at least try to read the excerpts from Robert Burns, honest, but don't let this put you off reading this book as there are loads in it that will both educate and entertain especially if you are a newbie in the world of Whisky like me.

As Charles states in his introduction, a miscellany is defined as “a mixture of writings on different subjects, or by different authors.” This is neither, but it is a mixture of topics broadly related to the subject of Scotch Whisky intertwined with some of his favourite quotations about the same subject.

In this book, he has poured a lifetime's love and knowledge of Scotch whisky giving the reader a sound foundation in what is needed to know and appreciate about Scotland's most generous gift to the world and arguably the world's finest spirit.

Twenty chapters takes you through a short history about Whisky. Starting with its definition and origin of what we know whisky to be today as well as a quick look at the the other major whisky makers (at the time of writing) Ireland, America, Canada and Japan.

If you ever wanted to find out about 'proof' it’s all explained in this book (if you were born after 1980 you may be wondering what I'm talking about). The entire process is explained from water to barley varieties, albeit that time again has moved on and current strains will certainly be different since the original publication date, but the history is there. If you are just starting your whisky journey this is a great little book that answers so many questions. The chapters are wide ranging but are easily digested. The reader can pick up, delve into at any point and there is no need to read it in chronological order.

As I mentioned earlier I've really enjoyed reading this and I'm glad it is part of my whisky shelf. I will continue to pick it up to re-read chapters from time to time, and will even have another bash at trying to enjoy the poetry!

If it's not in your Whisky Library now, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy quickly!

Sláinte! Dave.

A word of thanks also to @whiskylassie for proofreading this post and correcting a few things for me.

Reading List

The other day I was reading The Whisky Lassie's new blog post and her interview with Dominic Roskrow. At the beginning of the post Johanne tells us that she has always been a writer, something that I have never professed to be!

In my school days I was the most likely candidate for being thrown out of my English lessons. I'm not sure that I really did anything wrong, I just told it how it was, I was only interested in engineering and sciences, where everything was either right or wrong and there was no real 'middle ground', so when it came down to expressing how I felt about a particular poem, I usually let my teacher know exactly what I felt....that usually got me thrown out of the class. But why should I have feelings for a poem or a story? It was just a group of words, and certainly not real and of any use to me at the time.

In retrospect it was the English teacher that was wrong, he was unable to convey his love of the English language across to me, and instead of persevering, decided it would be in my best interest to stand in the corridor outside the classroom during a considerable number of lessons. I'm still the same with poems, I don't really care for them, however have learnt to appreciate them.

However when reading Johanne's post, and before she introduces Dominic to her readers, she tells us about her favourite whisky writer, Michael Jackson. Michael died in 2007, long before I had started my whisky journey, and although I have heard only great things about the man, I've never read any of his work.

Not mine, but some of The Whisky Lassie's books

I took a look at the handful of whisky books in my collection, not enough attention had been paid to it and that must change, especially now the nights are drawing in at the end of a particularly fine British Summer. The first whisky book I read was Ian Buxton's 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die. This book was a major milestone. It opened my eyes to the whole world of whisky when I was looking for inspiration and direction to my own whisky journey. 

I also bought a couple of others books at the time, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible and Ingvar Ronde's Malt Whisky Year Book which gave me all of the technical data I often crave. 

Later additions include Richard Patersons's Goodness Nose, Ian Buxton's 101 World Whiskies to Try Before You Die and Davin De Kergommeaux's Canadian Whisky, but nothing from Michael Jackson at all.

Not knowing where to start I thought I'd use the Whisky Fabric on Twitter and tweeted the question: What is you favourite whisky book? I was confident that some of Michael's work would be listed along with some other gems. This is the list of books I received and I've already put out a number of enquiries to start adding these to my reading list and bookshelf.

1. Malt Whisky Companion by Michael Jackson
2. World Guide to Whisky by Michael Jackson
3. Whisky A World Guide by Michael Jackson
4. Everyday Drinking by Kingsley Amis
5. Raw Spirit by Iain Banks
6. The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard
7. World Atlas of Whisky by Dave Broom
8. Peat, Smoke and Spirit by Andrew C Jefford
9. Whisky by Aeneas MacDonald 
10. Whiskypedia by Charles MacLean
11. Malt Whisky, the Complete Guide by Charles MacLean
12. The Whiskies of Scotland by R.J.S. McDowell
13. How to Drink by Victoria Moore

I've just secured a copy of Whisky by Aeneas MacDonald which I'm very excited about, and have ordered a couple of Michael Jackson books; Malt Whisky Companion (4th Edition) and World Guide to Whisky (1987).

I've also picked up a copy of Raw Spirit and will be trawling local bookshops to see what else I can dig out! As I get to them, I'll be posting reviews so keep a look out for them. In the meantime, if you have any others that you think I should add to this list - please let me know, and I'll update it! If you've read something you really liked, why not review it and send it to me, we'll post it here on our Whisky Discovery blog.

Slàinte! Dave

Book Review: Canadian Whisky

My 'well thumbed' copy with my only bottle Canadian whisky in the background

I hadn't even considered Canadian Whisky at the beginning of my whisky journey, but what did I know back then? I had started on a 'malt crusade', but was only buying whisky from the supermarkets, and although reading anything I could find, was mainly reading the brand websites.

Towards the end of my first year I bought a couple of books when I desperately needed some guidance. One of them was Ian Buxton's 101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die, and it was Ian's book that opened my eyes up to the vast catalogue of great tasting whiskies from around the globe. Listed in it were two Canadian Whiskies, which immediately went on my list. His follow-up book, 101 World Whiskies listed a further four. I needed to find out about Canadian Whisky.

Twitter has made a huge difference to my whisky knowledge. With the #whiskyfabric woven across the globe (go on, search that hashtag on Twitter) Canadian whiskies have been traded with friends across the pond and I have made some steps towards checking off the ones from the list, as well as discovering some new expressions chosen for me through these trades.

It was during my first virtual journey into Canadian Whisky (with the help of #whiskyfabric founder @whiskylassie and @BruceFraser who traded the necessary samples to start my tasting trip) that I found out about Davin de Kergommeaux and his Canadian Whisky website and was about to publish his 'portable expert', Canadian Whisky. 

Then at the beginning of this year I was asked if I would like to take part in a four part whisky tasting with the author, and a copy of the book would be sent my way. The book duly arrived and was enthusiastically read.

Davin takes readers on a journey through the history of Canadian whisky, the book being divided into five sections, which seems to cover all bases incredibly well. 

Starting with the key ingredients and the 'substance' of Canadian Whisky, we're then told how it's made in great detail. This is followed by a section on how we should be tasting it and why it tastes the way it does. 

The fourth section is a concise history with the rich folklore surrounding it, and the final section introduces the nine current distillers of Canadian whisky.

Davin has put his heart and soul into this book, and it has been a fabulous read. The history has been extensively researched and learning about the pioneers of the industry has been fascinating; of the English and German settlers bringing their distilling skills with them to their new home, of the rise and fall of the distilling dynasties as whisky went out of fashion towards the end of the last century, leaving just nine distilleries today from the twenty two registered in 1976.

However this isn't just a book describing the history of Canadian Whisky, throughout the book Davin has posted tasting notes for Canada's top one hundred whiskies.

This book (and the Canadian whisky I have tried to date) has certainly whetted my appetite for more. Unfortunately reading Davin's tasting notes is a bit of a tease as Canadian whisky is not (yet) widely available outside of Canada (they seem to be keeping it all for themselves!) There are a few brands available at the well known British whisky websites but I'm sure with the increasing interest more will be available in the very near future, and as it does, I'll be ready, with my portable expert!

Book Review: Malt Whisky Yearbook 2013

I'm coming up to my second Whisky Birthday next week and it was around this time last year that having been through most of the single malts available on the supermarket shelves I was looking for new inspiration to continue my journey.

So trawling through Amazon and similar sites I found and bought three books that I thought would help me with my journey, one on which was Malt Whisky Yearbook 2012.

My new shiny copy superseding last years yearbook 

Malt Whisky Yearbook is the brainchild Ingvar Ronde, who, having been interested in whisky for some 20 years, noticed around seven years ago that there for some reason was no yearbook compiling what happens in the world of whisky (and malt whisky in particular). After conducting some research he decided to try and produce one himself. So the idea actually came from a need he had, to be able to read a summary of what had happened in a year and also to get a glimpse of the near future.

Well Malt Whisky Yearbook 2013 has just been recently published and I'm very pleased to tell you that I have got my hands on a fresh copy to read.

I have been fortunate to meet Ingvar a couple of times now, the first time when we were new to the whisky world attending Whisky Live London in March of this year, I had already read through my copy of the 2012 Yearbook by that time, then again we met at the recent Whisky Exchange Show at Vinopolis.

Ingvar usually visits around thirty to thirty five Scottish distilleries a year, but hasn't had the chance to visit many outside of Scotland yet, relying on his network of contacts to update him regularly, and in good time for each new release. This is something Ingvar plans to change as he is eager to visit some of the distilleries not based in Scotland.

I asked Ingvar what his earliest whisky memory was and he told me "My first whisky memory is actually from 1980 when I travelled to Scotland with a friend of mine. We were riding on the Flying Scotsman from London to Inverness and we had a bottle of Dufftown Glenlivet (as it was called then) with us. Once in Inverness we rented a car and followed the Whisky Trail for a few days visiting Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Strathisla and Glenfarclas distilleries."

I went on to ask what three whiskies Ingvar would recommend to some one new to whisky and in no particular order Ingvar listed these:

• Johnnie Walker Black Label – an affordable and well made blend,
• Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old – a great example of a bourbon matured single malt, and
• Glenfarclas 12 Year Old – for those who fancy sherry maturation. 

I now need to find myself a Glenfarclas 12 Year Old as it's the only one of this three I've yet to try.

When I asked him what his dream dram would be, money no object, he told me how much he would love to enjoy a full bottle of Glenmorangie Pride. He got a tiny sample when it was released and was blown away!

Ingvar then gave me some whisky tips which I thought I would share with you:

• Look out for the stuff coming from Compass Box – most of it is top class
• From Berry Bros & Rudd – their different Blue Hanger releases (Ingvar's favourites have been number 4 and 5)
• The new duty free releases from Auchentoshan – a distillery that many of us have overlooked before.
• Yamazaki 18 Year Old and Miyagikyo 15 Year Old – two brilliant examples of what the Japanese can do
• The old single casks from Glendronach that the owners have been releasing on a regular basis for the last couple of years are pure heaven for a sherry freak

Getting back to the Malt Whisky Yearbook, it was a revelation when I first got my hands on it, packed with information that I was looking for. The latest and 8th edition follows the tried and tested format, which is broken down into three coloured sections:

The 'red section' begins the book with articles from distinguished whisky profiles such as Charles MacLean, Gavin Smith, Ian Buxton, Dominic Roskrow, Neil Ridley, Ian Wisniewski, and Jonny McCormick. Gavin Smith opens the book up with a chapter charting the new single malts rise in the markets from established distilleries that previously supplied malt to the blenders. The red section ends with a new feature titled 'Working on the Front-line' where eight brand ambassadors, whisky retailers and whisky evangelists give their views of the whisky world.

The 'blue section' follows which contains the distillery data. Starting with the malt whiskies of Scotland and Ireland and packed with great photographs of the distilleries. The book dedicates at least a page to each distillery, listed alphabetically, with a brief potted history, tasting notes from one of the core expressions, as well as news of recent releases.  The distillery news is often augmented with an additional page 'meet the manager' where we get to know a little bit more about the brand, the distillery and of course the person.

There are additional articles interspersed within the distillery pages featuring cocktails, websites to watch, books and magazines, as well as a great feature on the 'maths' of a distillery (I'm an engineer, I can't help it) Where I got to learn that it takes around 11 litres of water and 1.4 kg of barley to produce one bottle of 12 year old whisky.

A Quick Guide to Whisky Math - OK I'm a whisky geek

The closed distilleries are not forgotten and are listed, with a brief potted history and update on their status before moving onto whiskies from around the world.

The 'green section' ends the the book summarising the whisky year, tabulating some fascinating facts and figures.

Malt Whisky Yearbook gives a great insight into what is going on in the world of whisky and it has become an authoritative book that whisky enthusiasts worldwide look forward to each autumn. My 2012 copy rarely left my side last year, taking it on holiday with me twice. I'll let the 2012 edition rest now and let this latest edition take up the mantle.

If you love whisky, this book must be on your bookshelf! For more information check out their webepage: www.maltwhiskyyearbook.com back issues of some of the previous years are still available, and I'm sure will become collectable if not already.

Book Review 101 World Whiskies

101 World Whiskies to Try Before You Die
Ian Buxton 
Published July 2012

Ian Buxton's new book

I bought Ian's '101 Whiskies to Try before you Die' towards the end of my first year of my whisky journey. I had run through almost everything that I was seeing in my local supermarket shelves and was at a point of not knowing where to go next.

That book gave me new inspiration to expand my horizons and augment the rapidly diminishing wish list that was stuck on our fridge door.

I love this book! My post-it notes on the whiskies tried

It immediately opened up my curiosity to try blended whisky as well as American bourbons which I certainly hadn't considered at the beginning of my journey. (I originally had planned a Scottish Single Malt journey)

My book is now full of small post-it notes on the pages of the whiskies I have owned and tried, with reminders of where I bought it, tasted it, who with, how much and what I thought of it.

It has encouraged me to seek out whiskies that I wouldn't have known about before and I know I'm not the only one, it has been a best seller and was clearly evident at Whisky Live London earlier this year, where I noticed a number of visitors were walking around with their copies, checking out which whiskies they should be tasting next and marking them off.

My 'Dad's Whisky Wish List' was suitably extended and I've been steadily working my way through them, and currently I've tasted a third of those listed.

So I'm really pleased to tell you that Ian has just released a great companion book titled '101 World Whiskies to Try Before You Die'. It follows the same theme as the first book, but now encompasses whiskies from a great deal further, including not only whiskies from the established whisky-producing countries, but also many newcomers. The book includes whiskies from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, India, Ireland, Japan, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA and Wales.

Once again all the whiskies included are both affordable and accessible. Ian doesn't believe in collecting whiskies or investing in whisky, and there is a couple of pages at the beginning of the book explaining Ian's reasoning why.

Ian believes in tasting and enjoying the huge range of whiskies that are available, and this book includes single malts and blends - and provocatively a few renegade suggestions that are bound to offend a few purists! (I was surprised, but certainly not offended!)

The book matches my earlier version perfectly and is the right size for me to flick through while savouring my current dram of choice. The photos of the bottles are clear on the left hand pages and the light heartened descriptions are laid out on the right hand pages, there's a little history, some candid commentary and amusing anecdotes for every entry. There's even a cheeky bonus 'one hundred and second whisky' but you'll have to get your own copy to find out what that one is.

Checking on Amazon I've found it's also available electronically for those of you who have moved onto this medium (I'm not quite there yet and want the hardcopy to thumb through to!).

I asked Ian if there were any plans for an App yet, but nothing in the pipeline yet due to the enormous expense, so come on app experts contact Ian with the right solution at the right price.

101 WORLD WHISKIES TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE is published in hardback by Headline on Thursday 5th July 2012 and available from Amazon here

The original 101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die is still available there too, and if you're exploring the world of whisky, they both really ought to be on your shelf alongside your whisky, and now I need to revisit my wish list and start adding some more gems that Ian has chosen for me!

Ian Buxton

Ian Buxton

Ian Buxton is a former Marketing Director of Glenmorangie and has worked in the industry for more than 20 years. He now runs a successful consultancy business. He was elected a Keeper of the Quaich in 1991, the highest honour of the Scotch whisky industry, and is a member of the international tasting panel for the annual World Whisky Awards and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. Ian lives in Perthshire on the site of a former distillery from where he conducts his love affair with Scotland's national drink.

Check out Steve Rush's insider interview with Ian on The Whisky Wire

Book Review

Goodness Nose

Goodness Nose. The passionate revelations of a Scotch Whisky Master Blender by Richard Paterson and Gavin D. Smith. Richard Paterson is one of the world's most prominent whisky blenders working with Whyte & Mackay in Glasgow. Gavin is a leading whisky writer and journalist with several books on the subject to his credit.

I have just finished reading this and thought it would be appropriate to write a quick review for my blog as I consider it to be part of my continuous whisky development

I knew little about Richard, however recently saw the excellent documentary Shackleton's Whisky in which Richard flies to New Zealand to the whisky bring back home and recreate the blend. After watching this program (and I have it firmly saved in my TV box memory) I decided I really ought to find out a little more about Richard and searched the internet to find out more.


I had the rather good fortune of meeting Richard at the recent Whisky Live Show in London. It was my first whisky event in my journey so far, and really was hoping to be able to 'bump' into Richard during the show.

Knowing his association with Whyte & Mackay, Dalmore and Jura we made our way down to their stand to sample their whiskies on display with a hope of seeing him. We were not disappointed! Within a few minutes of finishing a couple of Dalmore expressions Richard appeared and I introduced my daughter and myself to him.

When I told Richard that I was introducing my daughter to whisky he immediately told her that she ought to have a copy of his book that would explain it all! He disappeared to behind the Whyte & Mackay stand and reappeared with a paperback copy of his book and promptly signed it for her!

I've just spent my Easter weekend reading it, well finishing it, as I had started it after the show, and what a great read it is. Most of my journey to date has been with single malts, and before reading this book have only tasted one blended Scotch whisky, that being Black Grouse. Although I have had some blended whiskies on my wish list, I have always overlooked them for another single malt. This will have to change from now on!

Meeting Richard at Whisky Live London 2012 was a highlight of the day

So, onto the book

Richard Paterson almost has Scotch whisky running through his veins. His grandfather and father were both prominent in the Scotch whisky industry in Glasgow for decades before Richard joined a competing whisky brokerage firm to start his apprenticeship.

This book is not the answer to the art of blending whisky, nor is it a book filled with tasting notes of various expressions. It is his personal account of a remarkable career in the Whisky business, his personal view of the Whisky industry during the last four decades. It is also a comprehensive and entertaining story of the art of Whisky blending.

There's plenty of humour alongside the history and the story starts with Richard's first exposure to whisky, at just eight years old, in his Father's Glasgow bond. The foundation had been laid and Richard reveals how he eventually started an apprenticeship with a rival firm, before moving to Whyte & Mackay rising through the ranks to the top of his profession and a third generation Master Blender.

Richard really know's his whisky and his whisky history and every page is filled with the passion he has for the business and the respect for the people who made Scotch whisky what it is today. He also candidly reveals some of the secrets of his craft and gives his thoughts on where he feels the industry is heading today. I’m sure this is destined to become a whisky classic and will be an essential item on every whisky fan's bookshelf.

I have learned a great deal from reading this book as it contains plenty useful advice for would-be whisky connoisseurs – pour the whisky into a proper nosing glass, hold between thumb and forefinger, keep it at room temperature, swirl a few times, put your nose right into the glass (don't sniff forlornly from six inches away) and take plenty time to get to know the whisky before sipping.

Richard says that, to him, nosing alone is sufficient to assess the qualities of the whisky nearly 99% of times. Very rarely will he need to taste a sample – and in most cases it ends up in the spittoon, however if it is a particularly

Richard Paterson is a true ambassador of the Whisky industry and of Scotland, and if you really want to know more about Scotch Whisky, get yourself a copy of this book.

Book Review 101 Whiskies

101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die

Ian Buxton

Published September 2010

This was the book that really injected some real pace into my whisky journey. When I set off almost a year before buying this book, I had in my mind that I would be looking to buy Scottish single malts, discounting blends, bourbons and whiskies from other countries, I knew very little about whisky at the time but was rapidly running out of whiskies to buy as I was only looking at my local supermarket, and with twenty five 'whisky discoveries' under my belt needed some urgent help.

I didn't have a Twitter account nor a blog, just a 'liquid log' put together as a MS Word document and was wondering where I should go next. I thought to myself there must be a 101 list out there somewhere, a list of whiskies that I should be pursuing and searched the web and came up trumps when I found this book.

Ian Buxton has selected 101 'everyman' whiskies, and as Ian says quite clearly in his introduction, this is not an awards list, there are no points awarded, it's not a list of the best whiskies in the world, it's a guide to 101 whiskies that whisky enthusiasts should seek out and try.

There are no obscure single casks bottlings listed, and most, if not all of the whiskies listed should be available today, some three years after first publication. Ian set out choosing this 101 with goals of being generally available, albeit you may have to search a little further than your supermarket shelves. They must be affordable, there are a few whiskies listed that were retailing above £100, but I think the average (at the time of printing) was around £57 a bottle.

Ian has worked in the Whisky Industry for more than 20 years and so is well qualified to select 101 whiskies for us to consider. Everything is laid out in alphabetical order, it's not a top 101 list and although more than half of those listed are Scottish single malts, there are blended whiskies and whiskies from further afield introducing whiskies from Canada, Ireland, India, Japan, Sweden and the USA to me.

When I first read through this book I was pleased to find that of the twenty five I had already bought or tasted, nine appeared in this book. 

Each whisky listed fills a double page spread, with a full colour picture of the whisky to the left, along with some basic information; producer, distillery, availability and price guide. On the right hand page Ian lays out a brief description of the whisky, its producer, and some background information on its history, and why it has been included in the book. Ian follows this with some simple tasting notes. honest and understandable notes on his thoughts for each whisky.

This book became my guide when I came to a point in my journey where I was struggling to find out where I went next. I still refer to it today, and my copy is filled with small 'post-it' notes reminding me of when and where I tasted each whisky.

It has introduced me to blended whisky, and more importantly introduced me to the whole world of whisky. There is no doubt in my mind that this book has been a key foundation stone to my whisky journey, and I thank Ian Buxton for putting this book together. (and I have thanked him when I met him at The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show last year).

Ian released a second edition in 2012, 101 World Whiskies to Try Before You Die expanding the horizons for the whisky enthusiast further still and you can find out what I thought about that here.

So how am I doing with this 101 list? At time of writing 60 down and I still have 41 to find. (May 2013)

Assistance Required !

With an ever increasing thirst for knowledge I decided I needed to find a guide, an almanac, to help steer me along this journey.

I wanted to find out more about Jim Murray, who decided that the Old Pulteney 21 YO was the whisky of the year. I wanted to find a guide that would open new avenues of discovery.

After much searching I went for Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2012 and for a bit of fun Ian Buxton’s “101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die”

Both books include single malts, blended whisky, bourbons and other worldwide whiskies that can only enhance this journey I have decided to undertake.

 I was really pleased to find out that my journey to date included no less than nine listed in the 101. 

I like this book, as it is not an awards list, there are no scores listed, and is certainly not just a list of the best whiskies in the world. As Ian states; “It is simply a guide to 101 whiskies that enthusiasts must seek out and try” I don’t have to buy a bottle of each, but will use it to help with my ‘wishlist’. I was also pleased that even some of my original wishlist were included. 

It has certainly expanded my horizon as I am keen to try some of the blends, bourbons and other world whiskies.